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questions and answers before you can’t go back

BarcelonaThe machinery has already been started. This week, walking along Travessera de les Corts, you can see how a crane from the Catalan company Gruas Serrat is working on the partial demolition of the third tier of the Camp Nou south goal. Thus, thanks to the extension of the bridging loan to 180 million euros that it obtained in April with the Goldman Sachs investment fund, Barça has been able to begin, as planned, the first phase of the remodeling of the stadium coinciding with the stoppage of club matches during the World Cup in Qatar. There is more to do beyond the first team.

Now the next objectives are two: to close the financing for the bulk of the works, which will be done while the first team plays its matches at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium in the 2023-2024 academic year, and to decide which construction company will be in charge of the works Sources at the club have informed ARA that both things should be resolved in the coming weeks, before the end of 2022. But there are still questions to be answered in the Espai Barça puzzle.

What has been done so far at Espai Barça?

In 2019, the Johan Cruyff stadium was inaugurated in the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper for Barça women’s and Barça Atlètic to play there. A year later, the demolition of the Miniestadi was completed, which led to the controversial payment of 1.5 million to Laietà for possible inconvenience during the operation. On the other hand, work has been carried out inside the Camp Nou to start adapting the facilities in terms of technology and external development.

What will be done during the World Cup in Qatar?

The demolition of the central part of the third stand of the south goal of the Camp Nou, which led to the removal of the video scoreboard and the seats in the area. These works, according to the club, will have a maximum cost of 4.6 million and have mainly affected 3,728 seats in the third tier, of which 3,182 correspond to members who have been relocated or have been offered a temporary moratorium in the payment of the subscription.

How is the search for funding for Espai Barça?

Until now, Barça has been able to carry out the works on Espai Barça thanks to the two bridging loans that Goldman Sachs has granted it. The first, in the era of Josep Maria Bartomeu, and the second, in that of Laporta. They add up to a total of 180 million. But this amount will be insufficient to face the bulk of the Camp Nou remodeling works, which will begin next summer. Thus, Barça is negotiating a new loan with the American investment fund that it expects to close before the end of the year. In fact, club sources tell this newspaper that “next week” there will be news in this regard. But the figure for this third loan for Espai Barça, in principle, would not reach the 900 million that the board of Laporta calculates as the total cost of the remodeling of the Camp Nou.

Who will direct the Camp Nou works?

The UTE (Temporary Union of Companies) is formed by JG Ingenieros and Torrella Ingeniería, companies from Barcelona and Terrassa, respectively. The choice led to a controversy because the College of Architects of Catalonia (COAC) did not see the formation of this tandem clearly, especially because of Torrella’s inexperience in projects of sports venues. The entry of this joint venture led to the departure of the project of the b720 firms Fermín Vázquez and Nikken-Sekkei, which in 2016 won the competition for design and execution. In addition, as reported by the ARA, this summer also left the IDOM project, the company that had been in charge of reformulating the remodeling of the Camp Nou since the arrival of Joan Laporta in the presidency in March 2021. Barcelona City Council has yet to approve this redevelopment.

Who will build the comprehensive reform of Camp Nou?

On Tuesday, November 22, Barça will close the deadline for the submission of candidacies for the tender for the Camp Nou remodeling works. As reported by the ARA in July, the construction companies best positioned to win the prize are the Spanish companies FCC, Ferrovial and Acciona. Precisely, this week The Economist he advanced that Acciona and Ferrovial could ally to have more strength before the FCC. “This competition is based on quality and price,” said Laporta in a recent newspaper interview Sportin which he added that a grade of 7 out of 10 is needed to pass the first phase, which focuses on quality.

How long will Montjuïc be played and how much will it cost to go there?

The forecast of the Laporta board is that the Olympic Stadium should be played throughout the 2023-2024 academic year and probably also some games in the 2024-2025 season. The investment that the Barcelona club will have to make in the improvements to the venue will mean a cost of around 20 million euros.

The Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc.

How much money will Barça stop making while playing in Montjuïc?

The forecast, as advanced by the ARA and confirmed by Laporta, is that at least 100 million euros will be left in per year while Montjuïc is being played. The most affected areas will be those of matchday (match day), museum and merchandising. In addition, the fact that the more conservative forecasts of the board lower the capacity of the Olympic Stadium from 56,000 to 40,000 spectators to solve visibility problems, will further complicate the invoicing of match days. On the other hand, a system of rotating season tickets will be launched. Right now the more than 83,000 season ticket members can go to the Camp Nou without any restrictions, as the venue has close to 100,000 seats.

Where will the Barça Museum be located during the exile in Montjuïc?

Once the current season ends, the museum, located in the Camp Nou tribune, will permanently close its doors and move to the current ice rink. There it will become a very interactive space in which virtual reality will be very important. The new museum, which will be built later, will be buried in the esplanade of the stadium and the club’s idea is that it will exceed the 60 million a year it generates today.

How is the project of the new Palau Blaugrana?

The absolute priority of Barça and Goldman Sachs is the remodeling of the Camp Nou. Therefore, until this is secured the other works live in the background. Despite the fact that sanctioning files with the possibility of fines arrive at Barça every year for the delay in adapting the Blaugrana pavilion to the demands of the Euroleague, the organization has not imposed any financial fines and extends the extension without setting a deadline.

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